- As Alaska spoiler candidate probe ordered, Dems point to GOP dirty tricks
Source: SFGate
“Alaska’s Republican governor has ordered an investigation in response to President Donald Trump ‘s demand for a criminal probe of whether Democratic Senate nominee Mary Peltola’s campaign was involved in recruiting a spoiler candidate with the same name as Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan. Political parties often support extra candidates on the ballot to try to pull votes from their rivals. In Ohio’s Senate race, Republicans have been tied to an effort to boost a socialist to votes from Sherrod Brown, the Democratic candidate challenging Sen. Jon Husted. A federal judge rejected a Trump administration request to stop California from processing the ballots of up to 20,000 people over allegations that they are likely noncitizens, warning it would ‘wreak havoc’ on the midterm elections. The ruling comes as more than 3.7 million people have already voted in the state.” (10/29/26)
- EU tells regimes to halt their national social media bans for a year
Source: Politico
“The European Commission is telling capitals across the bloc to pause any national laws that restrict social media access to minors, as Brussels seeks an EU-wide set of rules. But Austria, the first country told to halt its legislation Thursday, lashed out at the order. ‘It is unacceptable for Brussels to block member states from enacting national laws without presenting a completed European solution of its own,’ Austrian State Secretary Alexander Pröll told POLITICO. The Commission and national capitals have been seeking age restrictions for social media over the past year, citing risks to young people’s mental health. But even after the EU proposed a unified law, different countries have continued pursuing different approaches and age limits.” (10/29/26)
- TX: Republican group seeks to block certification of state’s election
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Days before the United States’ pivotal midterm elections, a Texas group affiliated with the Republican Party has asked a federal judge to stop certification of the state’s upcoming election results. In a lawsuit filed on Tuesday, the Potter County Republican Party and its chairman, Daniel Rogers, claim potential election interference by artificial intelligence (AI) or ‘malicious actors’ that could compromise the results of next Tuesday’s elections in Texas. The plaintiffs, who are asking for a hand count of every ballot from every precinct in the state before election certification happens, allege voting machines have components inside made by China that would allow them to be manipulated.” (10/29/26)
- Spain: Families hold out hope for loved ones missing after deadly train crash
Source: SFGate
“Families desperately searched for missing loved ones Thursday, more than 24 hours after two high-speed trains collided in central Spain, killing at least 69 and injuring dozens of others. ‘I have my father, and I don’t know where he is. I hope to find him, oh my Lord,’ said César Vicente, an actor who traveled 495 kilometers (307 miles) from his native Seville to Toledo in search of his father. He spent the night with many other families at a religious center converted into a base for those affected by the disaster. Vicente was with his mother and his aunt, all of whom were looking for César Vicente, who was sitting in seat 13A on the RENFE train that struck another operated by the private company Iryo, which had stopped on the tracks.” (10/29/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/families-hold-out-hope-for-loved-ones-missing-22500625.php
- South Korea: Prosecutor seeks death penalty for former president
Source: ABC News
“A South Korean special prosecutor on Thursday demanded the death penalty for ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol, ahead of an appeals court verdict on rebellion charges over his brief imposition of martial law in December 2024. The Seoul High Court has yet to set a date for a verdict on Yoon’s appeal of a life sentence handed down in February by the Seoul Central District Court. The court found that he illegally mobilized troops and police to seize the legislature, arrest political opponents and establish unchecked rule for a ‘considerable time.’ Investigators led by Special Prosecutor Cho Eun-suk also appealed the ruling, arguing Yoon deserves the death penalty because his actions posed a grave threat to the country’s democracy. An execution would be unlikely. South Korea has not executed anyone since 1997, effectively maintaining a moratorium on capital punishment following calls for its abolition.” (10/29/26)
- Reports: Hegseth removes top general amid sweeping Pentagon overhaul
Source: United Press International
“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has removed a top general from his post, according to reports, the latest exit of a senior military official amid a sweeping overhaul of the Pentagon. Hegseth fired Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia, director for Strategy, Plans and Policy, J-5, Joint Staff, CNN reported, citing a spokesman for Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine. According to ABC News, citing two sources familiar with the situation, the firing occurred earlier this week, and with his removal, Sylvia has retired.” (10/29/26)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2026/10/29/Hegseth-fires-Brett-Sylvia/3321793253301/
- Lagarde to step down as president of European Central Bank
Source: CNBC
“European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde will step down on Feb. 7 next year, she announced Thursday, formally kicking off a succession race that will be shaped by political bargaining and France’s looming fiscal crisis. Lagarde has led the central bank since July 2019, steering its responses to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war and a series of energy price shocks that sent inflation in the European Union above 11% in 2022. She will depart nearly nine months before her term was due to expire in October 2027, while the process to appoint her successor will begin immediately.” (10/29/26)
- MI: Democratic divisions linger in Senate race; will frustration with Trump outweigh them?
Source: SFGate
“With less than a week until Election Day, Democrats remain divided over their nominee in Michigan’s pivotal Senate race. The question now is whether those divisions will outweigh voter frustration with President Donald Trump and the Republican Party. Criticism of Democrat Abdul El-Sayed has persisted for months, both privately and publicly, since a contentious primary divided voters and party leaders. Rather than focusing solely on uniting the party’s traditional coalition in the aftermath of the primary, El-Sayed has sought to bring new voters — particularly college students and rural residents — into the fold. But the lingering Democratic tensions spilled into public view again Wednesday, when Jason Turkish, the fiance of El-Sayed’s former primary opponent, Rep. Haley Stevens, told The Detroit News that he would vote for Republican Mike Rogers. Hours later, Stevens appeared on CNN to reaffirm that she would be voting for El-Sayed, but urged his campaign to ‘shut out the hate and call it out’.” (10/29/26)
- DoorDash to acquire Instacart for $17 billion, creating delivery giant
Source: NBC News
“Delivery giant DoorDash is buying to-your-door grocery service Instacart for $17 billion, the company announced Thursday. The deal means users will be able to order groceries and items from other retailers via DoorDash and its delivery network. The companies said Instacart customers can now shop at more than 50,000 additional stores on top of the nearly 100,000 stores on the Instacart platform today. DashPass and Instacart+ members will now also pay one membership fee instead of two. DoorDash is expected to keep the Instacart brand and its technology. Until the transaction closes, DoorDash and Instacart will continue to operate as separate and independent companies.” (10/29/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/business/corporations/doordash-acquire-instacart-17-billion-rcna605907
- North Korea: Regime fires “around a dozen” ballistic missiles amid rising tensions with South Korea
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“North Korea fired ‘around a dozen’ short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast on Thursday, Seoul’s defence ministry said, less than a week after South Korea proposed talks over a growing border row. The launches follow a slew of recent weapons tests by Pyongyang, including a new precision-guided torpedo system and an intermediate-range hypersonic missile, both of which were said to employ AI technology. … Thursday’s missile flurry comes against the backdrop of growing tensions over a landmine explosion along the heavily fortified border between the two Koreas that saw three South Korean soldiers wounded.” (10/29/26)
- Flávio Bolsonaro calls himself “leader of Brazil” after election loss
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“The defeated candidate in Brazil’s presidential election, Flávio Bolsonaro, has referred to himself as ‘leader of Brazil’ in a letter he published on social media after leaving the country for the United States. Bolsonaro lost to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, in the run-off on Sunday by a difference of 4.4 million votes, but has not conceded defeat. In the letter, Bolsonaro alleges, without offering evidence, that he was the victim of ‘electoral fraud’ and says that he will lead the opposition from the US. He left Brazil on Tuesday after failing to comply with an order to surrender his passports, a decision which Lula described as ‘a shameful act’. Bolsonaro starts his letter, which he posted on his X account, saying ‘I address the Brazilian people and the international community as the leader of Brazil’.” (10/29/26)
- Screwworm Detected for First Time in Arizona as Outbreak Spreads
Source: mint [India]
“New World screwworm was found in Arizona for the first time, detected in a dog, as cases of the deadly parasite accelerate. The US Department of Agriculture confirmed the infection late Wednesday in a dog in Cochise County, Arizona. The spread of the parasitic fly, whose larvae burrow into the wounds of animals, had remained relatively contained since the pest was first detected in the US in June. Most of the early cases were limited to Texas. However, the pace of infections has increased this month, particularly in New Mexico.” (10/29/26)
- EU dropping associate membership title for its closer alliance with Canada
Source: CBC News [Canadian state media]
“The words ‘associate membership’ were removed from a joint statement expected to be released at this week’s Canada-EU summit, according to a draft seen by CBC News. But while the statement is now expected to use softer language promising closer ties between the 27-member bloc and Canada, the head of the European Union’s executive body continued to use the term in a social media post as she landed in Montreal on Wednesday. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen surprised many last month when she announced the EU would begin the process of making Canada its first associate member — a status that does not exist within the bloc — raising concerns among some members and Canadian politicians about what that would look like.” (10/28/26)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/european-union-canada-associate-member-9.7399578
- Turkey: Rock formation collapse in touristic Cappadocia region kills at least 3
Source: SFGate
“Parts of a large volcanic rock formation crashed down in Turkey’s popular tourism destination of Cappadocia on Thursday, killing at least three people and injuring five others, officials said. A section of the rock formation — known as a fairy chimney — tumbled in Cappadocia’s Goreme region, prompting authorities to deploy medical and rescue teams. Gov. Huseyin Kok said recent heavy rains likely caused the collapse, which occurred near a parking lot at an entrance to the site. He said rescue teams were continuing to search for other people who may be trapped under the debris. ‘We hope that there are no other casualties,’ the governor said. ‘We are deeply saddened.’ Kok said two of the three dead were Turkish nationals. He did not provide information on the third victim.” (10/29/26)
- FTC Orders Walmart, Delta and Others to Share How They Use Personal Data to Set Prices and Pay
Source: US News & World Report
“The U.S. Federal Trade Commission said Wednesday it is ordering Delta Air Lines, Walmart and other companies to provide detailed information on how they use consumers’ data when they’re setting prices. The commission said it is also studying how ride-sharing and delivery companies like Uber use their independent drivers’ personal data when setting compensation rates. … Orders were also issued to United, JetBlue, Lyft, DoorDash, Instacart and Target, the FTC said. Each company must share information that will allow the commission to assess whether pricing for tickets, rides, food delivery or other products and services varies from one person to the next based on factors such as participation in loyalty programs or analysis of personal data, the agency said.” (10/28/26)
- Mexico: Regime forces kill cartel leader wanted by US regime for $5 million
Source: United Press International
“Mexican naval forces killed cartel operator Jesús González Peñuelas, known as ‘El Chuy,’ during an air and ground operation that began Monday in Guasave, Sinaloa, authorities said Wednesday. The suspected drug trafficker was a high-priority target for the U.S. government, which had offered a reward of up to $5 million for his capture. Mexican Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch confirmed the death in a post on X, saying the confrontation began near the Alfredo V. Bonfil neighborhood in Guasave when naval personnel came under fire from members of a criminal organization and returned fire.” (10/28/26)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2026/10/28/latam-mexico-cartel-leader-killed/9881793210807/
- UN condemns US embargo on Cuba, but backing erodes under Trump pressure
Source: South China Morning Post [Hong Kong]
“The UN General Assembly condemned the US economic embargo of Cuba for the 34th year on Wednesday, even as Washington’s campaign to influence the outcome led to a number of countries voting against the resolution or sitting out the decision for the first time. The vote was 130-17, with 25 abstentions – a notable decrease in support from last year, when more than 160 nations supported the measure and only 12 abstained. While such resolutions at the UN General Assembly are not legally binding, they do reflect world opinion. For the first time in 34 years, Western countries like Germany, Italy and Latvia were among those that refrained from voting. Bosnia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Lithuania, Morocco, North Macedonia, Paraguay and Slovenia are among those member states that voted no – most for the first time.” (10/28/26)
- Romania: Regime extends pre-trial detention of far-right politician Calin Georgescu
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“A Romanian court has extended the pre-trial detention of far-right politician Calin Georgescu by 30 days, in an investigation into an alleged 1.1 million euros ($1.2m) fraud case. The decision by the Bucharest Court of Appeal overturned an October 13 ruling by a lower court that ordered the pro-Russian former frontrunner in Romania’s cancelled 2024 presidential election to be moved from police custody to house arrest for 30 days pending the fraud probe. Prosecutors said Georgescu and two other suspects persuaded a Romanian businessman to give them 1.1 million euros by making him believe they could help him secure a credit line of up to 15 million euros ($16.7m) from a foreign financial institution. Georgescu denied any wrongdoing and claimed the investigations were ‘politically motivated’.” (10/28/26)
- Every Day That YOU Don’t Donate To Our Annual Fundraiser, A Cute Little Puppy Dies!
I can say that with reasonable certainty because, sadly, cute little puppies die every day whether you donate to our annual fundraiser or not.
Donating to our annual fundraiser won’t save any of those cute little puppies (at least not directly), but you should do it anyway because you value our work and want to support it.
Nobody donated yesterday, so our total remains (as of 5am today) at $1,058 … and lots of cute little puppies are no longer with us. Coincidence? I think not.
Once we’ve raised $2,751.50, we have a “matching funds” pledge from supporter GL for the second half of our $5,503 goal.
Won’t someone PLEASE think of the poor, cute little puppies?
SUPPORT THE FREEDOM MOVEMENT’S DAILY NEWSPAPER!
Note: My wife, Tamara, has (thankfully minor) surgery scheduled for today. Between time at the hospital and waiting on her hand and foot while she rests/recovers, I’ll be more pressed for time than usual, so I expect tomorrow’s edition to be a “web-only” affair.
If the puppy trick didn’t work on you, how about “my wife needs an operation?”
PLEASE SUPPORT THE FREEDOM MOVEMENT’S DAILY NEWSPAPER!
Have a happy, healthy, and prosperous day!
Yours in liberty,
Tom Knapp
Publisher
Rational Review News Digest / Freedom News Daily - Israel: Netanyahu claims stolen election amid failure to secure victory
Source: Politico
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party on Wednesday said that voter fraud perpetrated by Arab citizens prevented him from winning a clear victory in the country’s election. In a statement from Likud reposted on social media by Netanyahu, the right-wing party railed against early results from Tuesday night’s elections, claiming ‘evidence of election theft in many Arab polling stations’ and urging law enforcement agencies to ‘act harshly and swiftly.’ Those accusations have not been verified, nor did Likud provide any evidence to support its claims. According to local media, Israeli police have said there is no evidence to suggest Arab parties meddled in the election. Results of Tuesday night’s election are not yet clear.” (10/28/26)
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/28/netanyahu-israel-stolen-election-claims-01139962
- Dark-Side Powers versus Conscience and Morality
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger“When someone becomes an employee of the U.S. government, and especially the all-powerful national-security state branch of the government, he is expected to leave his conscience and sense of right and wrong behind. While he ostensibly takes an oath to support and defend the Constitution, that’s actually a sham. As a practical matter, every federal official is expected to loyally and patriotically support the actions of the U.S. government, including the dark-side actions of the U.S. national-security establishment — i.e., the Pentagon, the CIA, and the NSA.” (10/29/26)
https://www.fff.org/2026/10/29/dark-side-powers-versus-conscience-and-morality/
- The Islamic Republic only survives on war; don’t give Tehran what it craves
Source: New York Post
by Miad Maleki“‘It’s getting to be decision time’ on Iran, President Donald Trump said Sunday. ‘Do I finish it off, which would be very easy to do, or do I make a deal?’ he mused in a Fox News interview. On Tuesday, at a get-out-the-vote rally in Lubbock, Texas, he put the choice on a clock. ‘You’ll see Iran in a couple of weeks,’ he said — the window that opens after Election Day, Nov. 3. US and Israeli military planners have reportedly mapped out a short post-midterm campaign against Iran’s nuclear, missile and energy sites; some officials think three days of strikes could force concessions. I spent eight years at the Treasury Department tightening sanctions on this regime — and I want it gone. Which is why the next round of bombs should stay in the racks.” (10/28/26)
- Paying for primary care: How Congress can fix a national shortage
Source: Niskanen Center
by Caitlin Rowley Gallamore & Marko Gajic“More than 92 millions Americans live in a federally designated primary care shortage area. That’s about 1 in 4 patients whose demand for primary care exceeds the supply of physicians that can provide it. And this shortage will only get worse without significant changes to how primary care providers (PCPs) are paid. Thankfully, Congress now has a chance to address the poor payment incentives at the root of the primary care shortage.” (10/29/26)
https://www.niskanencenter.org/paying-for-primary-care-how-congress-can-fix-a-national-shortage/
- Giving Voters What They Deserve
Source: Liberal Currents
by Adam Gurri“It’s weeks like this where I can’t help but think of the overquoted H. L. Mencken line that ‘democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.’ In America, we are nearly two years into getting ‘good and hard’ what voters chose in 2024 and are quite sick of it. Israel’s version of this predicament is almost comical. You’ll find no stronger defender than me of party-list proproportional representation—the system wherein the percent of seats in the legislature that a party gets is, with some technical caveats, one-to-one with the percent of votes they receive in the public election—but in Israel that system does frequently result in a failure to form a governing majority.” (10/29/26)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/giving-voters-what-they-deserve/
- This November, Vote Like Your Well-Being Depends on It
Source: OtherWords
by Daniel Mcvey“It’s really cold living in a home with no heat or running water in December. That was a hard lesson I had to learn as a kid when my family was struggling. Now, as a healthcare case manager, I’ve seen firsthand even more unnecessary human suffering caused by bad policy choices. We need change, and voting is part of how we make it. I grew up in a large family. My dad was a convoy driver during the Iraq War and was gone from us for nearly a decade. During that time, we struggled to afford the medication to manage my sister’s Type 1 diabetes. My mother stayed home so often to care for her that she lost her job. Even as prices rise, they’ve also chosen to take help away from those who need it the most—and give it to those who need it least.” (10/29/26)
https://otherwords.org/are-you-hurting-in-this-economy-you-need-to-vote/
- Democracy’s False Dawn
Source: Law & Liberty
by Gianna Englert“The story Europeans like to tell themselves may not be entirely true.” (10/29/26)
- The Power of Trump Compels Them
Source: The Bulwark
by Jonathan V Last“Someday the Lord will call Donald Trump home. At that happy hour, as Trump is welcomed to eternal life, there will be a great deal of uncertainty in American politics. What will happen next? My thesis is that there will be no return to normal because Trump has fundamentally changed the character and desires of a large group of American voters. This is the sort of idea that’s hard to quantify because you can’t come at it head-on. You have to look for oblique angles. The Public Religion Research Institute just gave us some interesting data points. I want to talk about them, and the Gospel, and the future of American politics. And empathy.” (10/29/26)
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/the-power-of-trump-compels-them-christian-nationalism-empathy
- How a Jo Jorgensen Presidency Would Have Prevented Our Current Crises
Source: Karl Dickey’s Freedom Vanguard
by Karl Dickey“How a Jo Jorgensen Presidency Would Have Prevented Our Current Crises.” (10/29/26)
https://palmbeachexaminer.substack.com/p/how-a-jo-jorgensen-presidency-would
- The $3.44 Walmart Pillow vs. Local Monopoly Power
Source: Bet On It
by Bryan Caplan“I need six pillows to sleep comfortably. Two under my side, two between my legs, one against my back, and one to hug. That’s too many pillows to pack …. Fortunately, Walmart doesn’t just make obtaining pillows convenient throughout the United States. It makes it dirt cheap. Every Walmart I’ve visited has the same $3.44 pillow for sale, so I routinely buy them wherever I go, and just abandon them when I leave. I’ve done this over and over, yet only on my last trip to Wyoming did I reach a profound economic epiphany. I have bought Walmart pillows in dense urban areas. I have bought them in suburbs. I have bought them in rural areas. And the price is always $3.44… plus tax. … Which has a shocking implication: The degree of local competition has absolutely no effect on the price of the pillow.” (10/29/26)
https://www.betonit.ai/p/the-344-walmart-pillow-vs-local-monopoly
- Why is Egypt jumping into Houthi war? First, follow the money.
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Elfadil Ibrahim“Cairo buys an increasing amount of fuel from abroad, owes billions to foreign lenders, and depends on open Red Sea-Suez traffic, among other pressures.” (10/29/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/egypt-saudi-arabia-houthis/
- AIPAC Isn’t Retreating. Here’s How It’s Already Shaping the Next Congress.
Source: The Intercept
by Akela Lacy“A new project by The Intercept reveals the hundreds of candidates still taking the pro-Israel lobby’s cash, and how AIPAC is obscuring its spending.” (10/29/26)
https://theintercept.com/2026/10/29/aipac-israel-midterms-spending-elections-congress/
- Midterms Either Most or Least Important Elections Ever
Source: Town Hall
by Kurt Schlichter“I don’t know what’s going to happen in the midterms, and you don’t know what’s going to happen in the midterms, and the boosters and pundits certainly don’t know what’s going to happen in the midterms. But something is going to happen in the midterms. And what happens in the midterms will make them either the most important midterms in the history of ever, or the least important. It all depends. Which means you shouldn’t take a chance, and you should get out there and vote all red just in case.” (10/29/26)
- There is no opposition leader. The American people are standing against Trump
Source: Los Angeles Times
by Jackie Calmes“Obama and Clinton, for their parts, have waited until midterm elections voting has begun and the outcome — a potential blue wave — seems clear. The likelihood of an electoral repudiation of Trump and his party is thanks not to their efforts, but to the voters themselves. Organically, a leaderless protest movement of sorts has taken shape, uniting Democrats, independents and a good number of repelled Republicans. Trump calls MAGA a movement, and it is. But he’s the unwitting organizer of this countermovement as well, thanks to his sorry record of self-aggrandizement, cruelty and a needless war that broke both his no-wars campaign promise and the one about bringing down Americans’ cost of living. (Moody’s Analytics recently reported that the Iran war has cost the average U.S. family more than $2,000.)” (10/29/260
- The Two Faces of Gadi Eisenkot, Who Could Be Israel’s PM
Source: Antiwar.com
by Dan Steinbock“In international media, PM Netanyahu’s adversary Gadi Eizenkot has been portrayed as a centrist voice. That’s part of his track-record. But he is also the architect of the Obliteration Doctrine that decimated Gaza.” (10/29/26)
- AI Isn’t Just Extracting More Fossil Fuels—It’s Unlocking Renewable Energy Too
Source: Reason
by Jeff Luse“A New Mexico geothermal project used AI to reduce surface infrastructure costs by 75 percent and speed up drilling by 35 percent.” (for publication 11/26)
https://reason.com/2026/10/29/ai-is-unlocking-abundant-energy/
- The Quad and the Squad: Washington’s Anti-China Coalitions
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Joseph Solis-Mullen“[E]ven as Washington seeks to navigate its fraught but improving relationship with Beijing, these meetings represent a strengthening of its network of partnerships intended to counter Chinese influence. While the Quad and Squad are two distinct components of that effort, there is little doubt that Washington’s expanding regional security commitments will do nothing to make Americans safer and will rather serve only to draw them further into a potentially catastrophic great-power confrontation.” (10/29/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/the-quad-and-the-squad-washingtons-anti-china-coalitions/
- China’s Belt and Road hasn’t lived up to Xi’s promise
Source: Asia Times
by Bertil Lintner“Designed to dwarf even the Marshall Plan, the American program to rebuild Europe after World War II, China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was first unveiled by President Xi Jinping in a 2013 speech at Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan. Beijing later pledged to invest US$1 trillion, and by some estimates as much as $8 trillion, in roads, railways, bridges, ports and other infrastructure projects around the world, with an emphasis on sparking economic development in the underfinanced Global South. Originally called One Belt, One Road, the BRI was meant to usher in what Xi described in his speech as a more just world order. But on many counts, the program has not measured up to its original, world-changing ambition.” (10/29/26)
https://asiatimes.com/2026/10/chinas-belt-and-road-hasnt-lived-up-to-xis-promise/
- Death Was Never a Joke
Source: Law & Liberty
by Itxu Diaz“Macabre Halloween celebrations risk trivializing man’s ultimate fate.” (10/29/26)
- Mike Rogers’s Wife Runs a Consultancy That Sells Government Access
Source: The American Prospect
by Zachary Groz“Earlier this month, former Republican congressman and Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers appeared on the campaign trail with his wife Kristi, handing out $10 gift cards at a Detroit gas station. ‘We’re all struggling with incredibly high gas prices’, Ms. Rogers said in a video taken from the scene. ‘And Mike knows this[‘. What voters would not have known from that video is that Ms. Rogers runs a Beltway trade group representing energy traders, mining companies, and manufacturers in their efforts to influence federal officials and federal policy. According to ethics watchdogs, Ms. Rogers’s position, which has not been previously reported, raises the potential for serious conflicts of interest should her husband win his hotly contested Senate race against Democrat Abdul El-Sayed.” (10/29/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/10/29/mike-rogerss-wife-runs-a-consultancy-that-sells-government-access/
- Fifty Years Ago, Milton Friedman Upended Economic “Expertise”
Source: The Daily Economy
by John Phelan“Friedman challenged the idea that governments could spend their way to prosperity. Fifty years after receiving the Nobel Prize, his most enduring lessons remain crucial — and largely ignored.” (10/29/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/fifty-years-ago-milton-friedman-upended-economic-expertise/
- The marginalized and the rioters
Source: Adam Smith Institute
by Madsen Pirie“The recent rioting in France, and in the past in the UK, set me wondering ifrioting and looting are more likely to be done by groups that feel themselves to be marginalized. There is an important qualification. Feeling marginalized raises the odds of joining a riot. It does not explain who loots, or when. The current European wave makes the point. On October 17th some 550,000 people marched in France against the cost of living by the Interior Ministry’s count, and the processions were mostly calm. The violence and looting broke out on the margins, in cities from Limoges and Lyon to Marseille and Paris.” (10/29/26)
https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/the-marginalized-and-the-rioters
- Will the AI Investment Splurge Last?
Source: Paul Krugman
by Paul Krugman“The boom in AI-related spending is already enormous relative to the size of the U.S. economy and is widely expected to grow even bigger. Indeed, a widely cited projection by Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh of the Columbia Business School concludes, based on announced plans by major players in the industry, that this will be the biggest investment boom in U.S. history, measured as a percentage of GDP …. Well, I’m going to make a prediction: This will not happen. Instead, the splurge on AI will run into two walls that will force either postponement or cancellation of many of those announced projects.” (10/29/26)
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/will-the-ai-investment-splurge-last
- Trick, or Treat?
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Katrina Gulliver“It’s becoming an annual event that I write something about Halloween. I discussed Spirit Halloween Stores in 2024, and the economics of the holiday in 2025. This year, there have been controversies about candy. What it’s made of, how much it costs, and didn’t it used to be better? One debate started when the heir to the candymaking Reese family accused current brand owner Hershey’s of besmirching his family’s legacy by (he claims) using cheaper ingredients for the peanut butter cups. In an open letter on LinkedIn, he claimed that the product was so bad that he ‘had to spit it out.'” (10/29/26)
- A golden age of science is coming
Source: Noahpinion
by Noah Smith“AI can do things humans researchers can’t, even in groups.” (10/28/26)
https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/a-golden-age-of-science-is-coming
- Held in Trust
Source: Libertarian Party
by Alex Flores“Earlier this month a Fox News poll found that corruption in government is now the top concern of American voters, above inflation and gas prices. Most people who answered that poll were picturing current scandals. But some of the worst corruption in modern American history played out over decades, under Democrat and Republican presidents, and most voters have never heard of it.” (10/28/26)
- Why Do They Despise Musk?
Source: American Greatness
by Victor Davis Hanson“As the midterms approach, the Left has gone nearly berserk in its hatred of trillionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk. Yet its escalating venom would have been almost inconceivable before 2022, when Musk publicly declared that he would be voting Republican. Before Musk’s recent political reversal (he voted for both Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020), he was beloved by the Left as the first successful upstart challenger to the century-long dominance of the Big Three fossil-fuel automakers. Liberals once loved his revolutionary, electrically powered Teslas and drove them proudly as a green virtue signal. Not now. Far-left podcaster Jennifer Welch has run out of Nazi epithets for Musk. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (ironically, given her own limited talents) trashed Musk as ‘probably one of the most unintelligent billionaires I have ever met or seen or witnessed’. ” (10/29/26)
https://amgreatness.com/2026/10/29/why-do-they-despise-musk/
- Sleazy Scheme
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob“[O]n Alaska’s four-person ballot, the choices are incumbent Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan; Democrat Mary Peltola; the other Dan J. Sullivan, recruited by the Peltola campaign and the DSCC; and a registered Republican, Gerald Heikes, also recruited into the race by the Peltola campaign and the DSCC. All while lying about it, of course.” (10/28/26)
- John Locke and the Climate Crisis
Source: Liberalism.org
by Christopher R Hallenbrook & Ryan Reed“The harms of climate change are now well documented, from rising sea levels to destructive wildfires, severe flooding, and now the strongest El Niño on record. Yet classical liberals have often criticized proposals addressing this threat as impractical, costly, and/or beyond the legitimate scope of government power. We engage the latter critique by turning to John Locke’s writings. Locke is both a proponent of limited government and profoundly influential on liberal democracies. He argued that government exists solely to enforce natural law, and in doing so, it protects life, liberty, and property. While Locke presented the earth’s resources as existing to be exploited, he crucially limited property acquisition, arguing that natural law prohibits spoilage and requires we leave ‘enough and as good for others.’ We argue that because these caveats are part of the natural law, governments are obligated to take comprehensive action addressing climate change.” (10/28/26)
https://www.liberalism.org/p/john-locke-and-the-climate-crisis
- What to Know About Amendment 6 in Missouri
Source: Show-Me Institute
by David Stokes“Amendment 6 is dangerous. If it passes, it will be a disaster for Missouri. It would effectively strip the elected legislature of its power to address laws passed by initiative petition or rejected by referendum. Lawmakers could not change or repeal laws passed by initiative petition, nor could they pass any laws similar to one rejected by referendum, without approval from at least 80% of both chambers, and even then they could only send the change back to voters. That bar is so high that errors and bad policies would stay on the books. The ballot title calls the amendment an expansion of the petition process ‘by making it a fundamental right,’ but what it really does is empower special interests over elected officials and the voters.” (10/28/26)
https://showmeinstitute.org/article/state-and-local-government/what-to-know-about-amendment-6/
- JD Vance Turns His Midterm Stump Into a 2028 Pitch
Source: The Dispatch
by Michael Warren“There’s no denying that J.D. Vance, Donald Trump’s vice president and heir apparent to the MAGA movement, has been dealt a bad hand in these final days of the midterm campaign. The country’s in an anti-incumbent mood. Trump has perhaps worn out his welcome with voters after 10 years. Prices on necessities are stubbornly high. During a Monday rally in Montana, where the average cost of diesel is well over $6 a gallon, the veep was reduced to reminding his audience that, hey, petroleum prices have been high before, and it’s not the Trump administration’s fault.” (10/28/26)
https://thedispatch.com/newsletter/next-right/jd-vance-midterms-campaign-stump-speech-2028/
- Trump’s Bizarre Closing Message to Voters
Source: The Atlantic
by Jonathan Lemire“Trump’s primary rationale for why voters should support the GOP, as best I can tell, is that the affordability crisis is a ‘hoax,’ Bill Maher is a ‘loser,’ and Senator Jon Husted of Ohio has a nice physique. That easy-to-mock message has been accompanied by a staggering number of missteps. Just for starters, he’s belittled the impact of his stalled war with Iran, sided with Russia as it continues to pummel Ukrainian cities, defended an attack ad from the GOP candidate for Ohio governor that repulsed other top Republicans, downplayed high energy prices while boasting that U.S. oil and gas companies are ‘making a freaking fortune,’ embraced AI as the nation turns against it, obsessed over White House construction projects, and spent a lot of time talking about handsome men, Husted being just one.” (10/28/26)
- Colombia’s First “Republican” President Going Full MAGA
Source: Common Dreams
by Mario Alfonso Murillo“The empty spaces inside Colombia’s National Museum in Bogotá offer a dramatic, if not painful introduction to its new, right-wing government. Several dozen objects related to the peace process with the M-19 rebel group; the historic 1991 Constitution; and mementos of social movements, LGBTQ rights, and other artifacts of the country’s complex history have disappeared from public view. Those objects included a Carlos Pizarro campaign poster, an armband from the political movement that emerged from the M-19’s demobilization, and the student ballot associated with the constituent process that produced the 1991 Constitution. These histories record how Colombians previously excluded from national power fought to enter public life in a country governed for generations by a white, economically powerful, and politically exclusionary elite. Critics say removing them from the public view diminishes the evidence of that decades-long struggle. Museum anthropologist Andrés Góngora described it in El País as ‘a mutilated museum’.” (10/29/26)
- Repeal Gun-Free Zone Laws
Source: Independent Institute
by Brady Leonard“Within hours of the tragic shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon on October 15th, the familiar political script was dusted off. Gun control organizations were immediately mobilized to demand fresh restrictions on firearm access, expanded waiting periods, and outright bans. Yet no policy proposed by gun control advocates would have changed the outcome, save for the one that left every student and teacher on campus defenseless.” (10/28/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/10/28/repeal-gun-free-zones/
- Hispanic Voters Are Dissatisfied; What Will It Mean for the Midterms?
Source: In These Times
by Diana Orcés“One week before the midterm elections, most Hispanic Americans are unhappy with the direction of the country. Should Republicans be worried? According to PRRI’s newly released 2026 American Values Survey, where I serve as the Director of Research, nearly three in four Hispanic Americans (74%) say the country is headed in the wrong direction, up from 67% in 2025. Since the beginning of the current Trump administration, immigration has become an even larger pain point for Hispanic Americans. As arrests of undocumented immigrants without a criminal record continue to increase, alongside deportations and deadly ICE raids, most Hispanic Americans (77%) disagree with the way the federal government is dealing with undocumented immigrants. Even most Hispanic Protestants, who largely supported Trump in 2024, say their opinion of President Donald Trump has mostly changed for the worse.” [editor’s note: That might depend on their immigration status, legal or not; some may think it’s the only thing he has done right! – SAT] [additional editor’s note: According to the US Constitution, there’s no such thing as “illegal” immigration status; and if anyone is thinking what SAT suggests, that thing they’re doing that they think is thinking isn’t – TLK] (10/29/26)
https://inthesetimes.com/article/hispanic-voters-midterms-trump-democrats
- The Banker Trying To Save Liberalism
Source: Persuasion
by Jeffery Tyler Syck“While poll-tested liberal leaders fell to populism around the world, Mark Carney has done the opposite—by giving liberalism a moral core.” (10/28/26)
https://www.persuasion.community/p/what-mark-carney-gets-about-liberalism
- The Economics of It, 10/29/26
Source: Cato Institute
“The Economics of Kalshi.” (10/29/26)
https://www.cato.org/multimedia/economics-it/economics-kalshi
- The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 10/29/26
Source: The New Republic
“Trump-Vivek Ad Ploy Backfires as GOPers Leak Humiliating Private Poll.” (10/29/26)
- After October 7, 10/29/26
Source: Quillette
“The anonymous chronicler of the Islamic State’s occupation talks to Pamela Paresky about growing up under Saddam, the 1941 Farhud, and why he believes antisemitism unites every jihadist movement.” (10/29/26)
https://quillette.com/2026/10/28/how-one-historian-exposed-isis-from-inside-mosul-dr-omar-mohammed/
- The Headlines, 10/29/26
Source: New York Times
“At Least 68 Killed in Spain Train Crash, and Democrats’ Secret Effort to Stack Alaska’s Ballot.” (10/29/26)
- Bill Buppert on The Scott Horton Show
Source: The Scott Horton Show
“Scott interviews Bill Buppert about Iran, the defense industry, the geopolitical delusions of the West, how evolving weapons technology will shape the next few decades and more.” (10/29/26)
https://scotthorton.org/interviews/10-23-26-bill-buppert-on-iran-ukraine-and-modern-militarism/
- Politico Playbook Audio Briefing, 10/29/26
Source: Politico
“Moderates put the left on notice.” (10/29/26)
- Advisory Opinions, 10/29/26
Source: The Dispatch
“Bringing Charges Against the President’s Political Enemies.” (10/29/26)
- The Watch Podcast, episode 2
Source: The Watch
“An interview with Scott Colom.” (10/29/26)
https://radleybalko.substack.com/p/the-watch-podcast-episode-2-an-interview
- The Blessings of Liberty with Jeffrey Rosen, 10/29/26
Source: The Blessings of Liberty with Jeffrey Rosen
“Until the Last Yoke Is Broken: The Constitutional Vision of Frederick Douglass.” (10/29/26)
https://rosenjeffrey.substack.com/p/until-the-last-yoke-is-broken-the
- Serious Trouble, 10/29/26
Source: Serious Trouble
“Federal prosecutors purport to charge James Comey, again; Cassidy Hutchinson wins a no-bill; Hasan Piker sues Scott Jennings.” (10/29/26)
- Pink Flame of Liberty, 10/28/26
Source: Pink Flame of Liberty
“The Midterm DOJ Games – US v. Alaska.” (10/28/26)
- Parallax Views w/ JG Michael, 10/29/26
Source: Parallax Views w/ JG Michael
“UFOs, High Strangeness, and the Excluded Middle w/ Red Pill Junkie.” (10/29/26)
- The Science of Politics, 10/28/26
Source: Niskanen Center
“How well can we predict elections?” (10/28/26)
https://www.niskanencenter.org/how-well-can-we-predict-elections/
- The Daily, 10/29/26
Source: New York Times
“A Plan for Two Dans: How Democrats Manipulated Alaska’s Ballot.” (10/29/26)
- The David Frum Show, 10/28/26
Source: The Atlantic
“The Man Who Risked Death Documenting ISIS.” (10/28/26)
https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/2026/10/david-frum-show-omar-mohammed-eye-of-mosul/689185/
- The Moynihan Report, 10/29/26
Source: The Moynihan Report
“Punk’s Not Dead. And Neither is Legs McNeil.” (10/29/26)
https://www.themoynihan.report/p/punks-not-dead-and-neither-is-legs
- The Inner Life of Liberalism, episode 6
Source: The Inner Life of Liberalism
“Friendship on the Knife’s Edge (with Roger Berkowitz).” (10/28/26)
- Show-Me Institute Podcast, 10/29/26
Source: Show-Me Institute
“How Are Missouri’s School Choice Students Doing? With Collin Hitt.” (10/29/26)
- Political Theater, 10/29/26
Source: Roll Call
“Taxidermy, attack ads, early voting and more: On the road in Iowa and Texas.” (10/29/26)
https://chrt.fm/track/D3F8DG/traffic.megaphone.fm/FISCAL7594285838.mp3
- The Chris Hedges Report, 10/28/26
Source: The Chris Hedges Report
“The Real Reason Palestine Action Was Deemed a ‘Terrorist’ Organization (w/ Huda Ammori).” (10/28/26)
https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/the-real-reason-palestine-action